HALIFAX -- As the fight against the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag ratchets up around the world, Atlantic Canada's biggest municipality is looking to join the growing ranks of cities and countries banning, restricting or taxing single-use plastic bags.

Halifax council has asked city staff to examine a plastic bag ban, a move that would follow the lead of Montreal, where single-use plastic bags were banned at the start of the year, and Victoria, where a ban takes effect July 1.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, left, chats with Mayor Mike Savage, a former Liberal MP, during a visit to Halifax on Friday, Aug. 30, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Mayor Mike Savage will also write a letter to Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil calling for a province-wide ban on plastic bags.

But the city is not waiting for the province to act, with Halifax solid waste manager Matthew Keliher promising to report back to council within a year.

Coun. Richard Zurawski told council the city has a "moral obligation" to stop plastic bags, noting that plastics are produced using fossil fuels and contribute to carbon emissions and climate change.